Menstruation brings with it severe cramps and pain in the back and abdomen. Menstrual pain arises in the body because of the release of prostaglandins chemicals from the tissue lining of the uterus. These chemicals lead to the contraction of the uterus muscles causing pain. These chemicals are also accountable for giving out feelings of nausea, diarrhea, and headaches. Back pain during periods can be sometimes acute and other times debilitating which might create a problem in coping up with the day-to-day activities. We’ve curated a list of a few Yoga poses supposed to be fruitful in easing down and calming severe to mild back during periods.
- Child’s Pose
The child pose engages the lower back muscles and soothes the back pain arising during periods. To perform the child pose, one has to just to get into a resting-pose with back in the front and allow the hips to relax and the torso should rest upon the top of the thighs. This pose should be performed while carefully observing the breathing and noticing the body movements.
- Standing Forward Fold
The forward fold pose engages the hamstrings, calves and the back. This pose focuses on the lengthening of the spine and stretching of the hips which helps in easing out the pain in the legs and around the back. This pose helps in keeping the blood circulation moving.
The forward fold can be easily performed in spite of the severity of pain and exhaustion in the body arising due to menstruation. One just has to bend down with knees straight, grab opposite elbows, and relax the neck muscles to complete the pose.
- Cat and Cow Pose
The cat and cow poses are fruitful in relaxing the body from menstrual cramps, abdominal pain and back pain. This pose engages the abdominal muscles and the back which allows their stretching and toning and brings flexibility to the body. This pose also helps in creating an emotional balance which gets disturbed due to PMS symptoms.
To begin with the poses, start with a neutral spine position with your back and abs active. Start rounding your spine towards the ceiling and make sure the abs and belly button are engaged. Tuck your chin towards the chest and allow the neck to release — smoothly entering into a cat-like position.
After completing the cat pose, smoothly arch your back with the back being relaxed. Start lifting your head and tailbone towards the sky without putting pressure on the neck — smoothly entering into a cow-like pose. Continue doing the two poses with deep inhaling and exhaling.
All these poses if performed appropriately can strengthen the body and mind. Performing these when on menstruation will help in dealing with the mood swings and strengthen the muscles.